Microsoft Ramps Up "Fix it" Support Tool 144
CWmike writes "Microsoft has ramped up its new Windows support assistant 'Fix it for me' nearly three months after it quietly released the automatic repair and configuration tool. The upgrade adds a 'Fix it' button to some of the support documents that Microsoft posts to its Knowledge Base. The blog introducing the changes lists some of the Knowledge Base documents that boast the 'Fix it' button, including one that prevents users from connecting a USB storage device — useful in protecting against one of the infection vectors of the 'Downadup' worm. Have ideas for the tool? In a forum on the 'WinVistaClub' Web site, someone who said he was part of the 'Fix it' team at Microsoft encouraged users to send feedback on the feature to the group at fixit4me@microsoft.com."
Re:What happens.... (Score:4, Interesting)
I doubt most people would notice. When people click on something like that and nothing happens, they just assume it can't be fixed, not that the tool itself is broken.
Think of how many times they've run across a fix button that does nothing in antivirus and antispyware software. People just shrug their shoulders and go on.
Mind you, not a good attitude to have but people have it anyways.
Zen (Score:5, Interesting)
the 'Fix it' button, including one that prevents users from connecting a USB storage device -- useful in protecting against one of the infection vectors of the 'Downadup' worm.
Funny, something I just sent a co-worker fits this.
"Everything, from people to rocks, axiomatically has a basic nature to what it does, what it just tends to do and how. I find life is much simpler and more pleasant when I recognize what that is, and interact on it/he/she/they on it's own terms and in its own way. This G-D net-nanny [or, in TFA's case, "Fix It" disabling functionality] stuff is just another example of what screws up human existence: instead of facilitating things happening, it stands in the way and interferes in obtuse ways."
The problem isn't people attaching USB storage devices, it's that OS design flaws allow for malicious misuse. Of course, M$'s "Fix It" solution is to kill the messenger, not fix the "yeah I'll do anything you say" OS - and we all know what kind of annoyance, headaches, breakage and new infection vectors will follow as a result.
Seriously: apturl. (Score:2, Interesting)
Actually, in all seriousness, it's possible for us to have this very technology on Linux: apturl [linutop.com].
Since .deb packages can contain scripts and configuration files and whatnot, it wouldn't be too hard to create .deb packages that fix common problems.
Could be useful... (Score:5, Interesting)
I've always thought it was strange how KB articles can get to have some really complicated actions, yet they can't just give you a script to do what they're telling you to do. That would be really helpful.
Here's an example of something i saw the other day:
1. Insert the CD into the CD drive or DVD drive.
2. Click Start, and then click Run.
3. In the Open box, type cmd, and then click OK.
4. At the command prompt, type the following commands, pressing ENTER after each command:
expand CD-ROM Drive Letter:\i386\config.nt_ c:\windows\system32\config.nt
expand CD-ROM Drive Letter:\i386\autoexec.nt_ c:\windows\system32\autoexec.nt
expand CD-ROM Drive Letter:\i386\command.co_ c:\windows\system32\command.com
exit
5. Start or install the program. If the issue is resolved, do not complete the remaining steps. If the issue is not resolved, go to the next step.
6. Note: The Command.com file is not edited or created in the following process. Because of this, you may have to expand it from your Windows XP CD-ROM.
Start Notepad.
7. In Notepad, type the following entries:
dos=high, umb
device=%SYSTEMROOT%\system32\himem.sys
files=40
8. On the File menu, click Save As.
9. In the File Name box, type Config.nt, and then click Save. Close the Config.nt file.
10. On the File menu, click New.
11. In the new blank document, type the following entries:
@echo off
lh %SYSTEMROOT%\system32\mscdexnt.exe
lh %SYSTEMROOT%\system32\redir
lh %SYSTEMROOT%\system32\dosx
SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 P330 T3
12. On the File menu, click Save As.
13. In the File Name box, type Autoexec.nt, and then click Save. Close the Autoexec.nt file.
14. Start Windows Explorer. Locate the Config.nt file, right-click the Config.nt file, and then click Copy.
15. Right-click the %SYSTEMROOT%\System32 folder, and then click Paste.
16. Locate the Autoexec.nt file, right-click the Autoexec.nt file, and then click Copy.
17. Right-click the %SYSTEMROOT%\System32 folder, and then click Paste.
18. Locate the Command.com file, right-click the expanded Command.com file, and then click Copy.
19. Right-click the %SYSTEMROOT%\System32 folder, and then click Paste. Restart your computer.
If the issue continues to occur, copy the Autoexec.nt and Config.nt files from the Repair folder in Windows to the System folder. To do so, follow these steps:
1. Click Start, click Run, type c:\windows\repair, and then click OK.
2. Right-click Autoexec.nt, and then click Copy.
3. Click Start, click Run, type c:\windows\system32, and then click OK.
4. Right-click anywhere in that folder, and then click Paste.
5. Right-click the Autoexec.nt file that you just copied, and then click Properties.
6. Click to select Read-Only, and then click OK.
7. Repeat steps 1 through 6 to copy the Config.nt file.
Note You must enable Read-Only permissions or the files will be removed after you restart Windows.
They can't just give me a script to run? It's simple for me to do all that, but time consuming and annoying.
-Taylor
Re:Could be useful... (Score:5, Interesting)
Exactly. What I always found frustrating is the "You could damage your computer by using regedit" warnings. but then the instructions say to navigate to this key, then this key, then this one, and right-click here, new, and be sure to use DWORD because if you specify any other type it won't work.
It would be so much easier to just "Save this.reg file and double-click on it." that way it's impossible for the idiot user to screw up. At least closer to impossible anyway.
Or at least give a way to navigate directly to the subkey, like a "goto line number" function in a text editor. Of course they do have the "Select a file" dialog that allows you to select by clicking and waiting for the folder browser to read all the files and folders, and the subfolders as well to determine if it needs to put a plus sign there, but not paste in something from the clipboard which you already have. so maybe it was the same design team.
Re:Could be useful... (Score:3, Interesting)
Amazing. This is what it takes to solve many Microsoft-related problems...
Well, not really. I've never actually had to do anything that complicated, it was just an example of things i wish they would automate, not me trying to say windows sucks. Turns out that the issue I had with that KB article was solved by rebooting (it has to do with windows giving out larger than 16 bit handles to 16 bit programs), which most users would try anyway first, and there was also a "Method 2" to the KB article (not sure why it wasn't method 1...) that was simpler:
Method 2
1. Click Start, click Run, type C:\windows\repair, and then click OK.
2. Right-click the Autoexec.nt file, and then click Copy.
3. Click Start, click Run, type %windir%\system32, and then click OK.
4. In the System32 folder, press Ctrl + V to paste the Autoexec.nt file in this folder.
My point was just that i wish that KB things could be more automated, it wasn't supposed to be an example of how terrible windows is or isn't/ And for the record, having just started with ubuntu after the 8.10 release, I've had to mess with it in strange ways in the last 2 months probably more than i've ever had to mess with Windows in strange ways.
-Taylor
Re:Microsoft needs to fix the defaults of Windows (Score:3, Interesting)
I never understood why MS is sticking to this way of doing things. I don't really want to go into the whole Mac vs PC thing, but OSX really nailed that I think. It's nice to have something that popups when you put a CDROM in the drive (for the average user anyway). But executing random code from a foreign media is of course terrible. So, in OSX, it's Finder (a bit like explorer) that pop ups, displaying the files on the CD. And since you can determine in advance the view style and the way the icon are arranged (and even put a coloured background) it *looks* just like the way you would expect, with a nice, big icon in the middle of the window, in order to install the software. No need to run arbitrary code. Autorun is just retared.